Printing-plate



ooooo e1) .GURTIS.

TING PLATE.

No. 582,778. Patented May 18, 1897.

Witweww A SVWQWW abtouw e r I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. CURTIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PRINTING-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,778, dated May 18,1897. Application filed June 1, 1896. Serial No. 593,759. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. CURTIs, a citizen of the United States,and aresident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Plates, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in printing-platesand bases for the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedprinting-plate which is simple in construction, can easily be fitted,adjusted, and secured or removed and replaced, is held firmly andsecurely in proper position, and at the same time can adjust itself tothe roller so as to print uniformly throughout, and which plate is notapt to be injured-by handling, as it has no sharp edges.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification andin which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views,Figure 1 is an enlarged detail crosssectional view of my improvedprinting-plate with base and rules. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing aslight variation. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a printers chase in which myimproved printing-plates are held, parts being broken away.

The printing-plate A is made as thin as practicable and with alongitudinal central rib B on its under side, said rib having its bottomedge beveled upward and outward at each side, as at a, or at one sideonly andprovided on each side or one side only, a short distance abovethebevel, with a longitudinal groove b, whereby a substantiallydiamondshaped or half-diamond-shaped head 0 is formed along the entirebottom of said rib B. The plate may also be provided on the under sidewith the usual shallow grooves d. The base is formed of two sections D,of iron, aluminium, or other material, and provided in the under sidewith the conventional longitudinal groove D. Each section D or only onesection is provided along the inner upper corner edge with the bevel 6,extending downward and outward, and in the inner side with thelongitudinal groove f a short distance below the bevel 6, so that whenthe two basesections are placed with their inner sides in contact thetwo grooves f or the single groove f forms a longitudinal receptacle forthe head 0 on the rib B, and the bevel or bevels eform a V. orsubstantially V shaped longitudinal groove in the upper surface of thetwo contiguous base-sections. The base-sections D are placed-into thechase F in pairs and the rules G longitudinally between them. The widthof the two base-sections D for each plate A is slightly greater than thewidth of the plate, as appears from Fig. 1. Then the plates A are placedlongitudinally over the corresponding sections, the beveled under sideof the head 0 resting in the groove formed by the bevels e in the uppersurface of the two corresponding contiguous basesections. Then the plateA is pressed down, whereby the bevels a of the head 0, acting on thebevels e of the base-section D, press said base-sections from each othersufficiently to permit said head to pass down between the base-sectionsand into the groove f, as shown. The plate A now rests flat on the uppersurfaces of the base-section. After all the plates or smaller pieces ofplates have thus been placed on the base-sections to fill the chase tothe desired degree the wedges or quoins H are driven up and all thebasesections D and rules G pressed firmly together and locked in place.The noses it formed in the inner or adjacent sides of the base-sectionsD thus extend into the grooves 19 above the head 0, and thus hold theplate A on the base-sections in such amanner that it is impossible tolift off the plate A without, however, pinching or binding said plate,but leaving the same slight play longitudinally and transversely. Toremove a plate A, it is only necessary to loosen up the wedges or'quoins H more or less and to lift up the plate.

The beveled upper edges of the head 0, then acting on the rounded orbeveled sides of the grooves f, press the two correspondingbase-sections D from each othersufficiently for withdrawin g the head 0without disturbing the other plates A or base-sections D in the chase F,as they are merely displaced laterally. The rules G do not in any wayassist in holding the printing-plates A on the base-sections D, and infact these parts are entirely independent of each other,

the only function of the rules in this case being to print lines.

The wedges, quoins, or other furniture are placed directly against thesides of the basesections, if so desired, it being unnecessary to use aside rule for holding the plates in place.

It is impossible to lock the plate unless the same rests snugly on thebase-sections, as the head 0 would prevent pressing the sections Dtogether as long as the plate and its head are at an inclination to thetops of the base sections.

If the plate is at a slight inclination by accident, it is drawn downinto proper position by the actions of the sides of the gvooves f ontheupper surfaces of the head 0. At the same time the plate A has. aslight play to permit of its adjusting itself to the printingpress, soas to print uniformly.

A length of plate A ofone line or a dash is held, as securely as alargerpiece. The plate is not clamped orpinched 01; held so firnrlythatitcannot give or adapt itself to the printing-press or roller and, 3stated, is entirely independent of therules G7. Sharp 0;;knife-edgecorners have-been avoided, and if; bychance thehead C onnoses7t, arebruised or dented; thisdoes not; in theleast affect theefliectiveness, ot the plate or the facility of adjustingsecuring, ordisengaging the-same.

Having-thnsdescribed my invention, what I claim new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isi.-.

1. A printing-plate, provided on, its under side with a longitudinal ribhaving a beveled bottom edge and a longitudinal groove in the side abovesaid head, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination with a printing-plate provided on its under side witha longitudinal rib, having a beveled bottom edge and a longitudinalgroove in each side above said head, of two base-sections having theirupper inner corner edges beveled downward and outward and provided witha longitudinal groove below said bevels, substantially as herein shownand described.

3. The combination with a chase of one or more printing-plates, eachprovided on its under side with a longitudinal rib, having its underside beveled and provided with a longitudinal groove, above said bevel,twice as many base-sections as there are printingplates, of whichbase-sections at least onefor each printing-plate has its upper corner,adjacent to the rib, beveled downward and outward and which section hasa longitudinal groove below said bevel, and of wedges introduced betweenthe sides of the chase and the Outer sidesof the base-sections,substantially as herein shown and described.

Inf testimony that I- claim the foregoing as my-invention I have signedmy name, in presence of two witnesses, this 12th. day of May,

BENJAMIN. l CURTIS. Witnesses OSCAR F. GUNZ, N. M. FLANNERY.

